Monty Don, the well-known presenter of BBC’s Gardeners' World since 2003, has been gently reminded by the corporation about its editorial guidelines after wearing a Barbour jacket on the show. The £300 jacket appeared both on-air during the latest series and across the programme’s official social media channels, coinciding with Barbour’s promotional campaign featuring Don himself.
BBC rules clearly state that presenters must not wear clothing or use products they are contracted to promote or endorse on air if there is a commercial relationship involved. As the jacket is part of Barbour’s “Way of Life” marketing initiative, which encourages customers to “shop the look” as worn by Don, this raised concerns over potential conflicts of interest.
A BBC spokesperson confirmed, “We have clear guidelines around presenters' commercial activities while working with the BBC, and Monty has been reminded of these guidelines.” The matter was addressed with Don following the episode’s broadcast.
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Barbour’s campaign highlights Monty Don as a fashion muse for their spring/summer 2026 collection, dubbing him the pioneer of the “allotment-core” style. Alongside Don, other celebrities like Frankie Bridge, AJ Odudu, Ella Eyre, and Jack Guinness also feature in Barbour’s promotional efforts.
This reminder follows similar BBC actions in recent years, including cautioning Ski Sunday presenters Graham Bell and Chemmy Alcott over skiwear endorsements shown during broadcasts, as well as concerns over Match of the Day’s Gary Lineker promoting his own clothing line on air in 2024.
Monty Don remains one of the BBC’s most respected figures and continues to present Gardeners' World, which is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.